The Go Green Club is promoting sustainability practices at SJC Brooklyn.
Club president Emily Burroughs said she’s proud of Go Green’s “Terrarium Build” and “T-Shirts to Tote Bags” events last semester, where club members could show their peers creative ways to be sustainable.
Students taking part in Go Green’s “Terrarium Build” event.
“We, as Go Green, believe these projects are important because the Earth is important,” said Burroughs, a junior biology major. “Mother Nature has been attempting to evolve to human action for years and she’s tired, so we believe it’s our duty as citizens of Earth to help her in every way possible.
“Many of us have an adoration for wildlife and the outdoors,” she continued. “I personally want my kids to be able to have the same outdoor experiences that I did growing up. We hope that through these events, we can get our peers excited about protecting their environment.”
Teaching Sustainability Techniques at SJC Brooklyn
For the “Terrarium Build,” students filled a mason jar with a drainage layer of colorful gravel on the bottom (to prevent the plant’s roots from drowning), then layered a thin filter on top of that, and topped it with a charcoal and soil mixture. After that, students planted succulents and added decorative moss to the terrarium.
Burroughs explained that terrariums are a sustainable way to garden because the plant only needs water and sunlight to survive.
“The ‘Terrarium Build’ was inspired by our desire to get students passionate and excited about all living things — plants included,” said Burroughs, adding that students made about two dozen terrariums. “We hoped by giving them something tangible to make their own and take home, they would become interested in cultivating a more sustainable mindset toward the environment as a whole.”
For the “T-Shirts to Tote Bags” event, students “upcycled” about 30 old SJC t-shirts from different clubs sitting in storage in the Office of Student Life and repurposed them into functional tote bags. The project aimed to show students that they can reuse items they already have instead of throwing them away. Students can now use their totes in lieu of plastic bags when shopping.
Go Green is ready to continue acting as a sustainability leader this semester.
The club has plans to visit the Dillon Child Study Center to teach students about the water cycle and the importance of preventing pollution. The club also hopes to bring in speakers from the Audubon Society, make herbariums, and teaming up with Pride Club to paint pots to plant in.
Go Green is also researching ways to volunteer in the neighborhoods surrounding SJC Brooklyn and brainstorming ways to make SJC a more bird-friendly campus through bird-friendly native plants.
